The New Headless Horseman
by Venom2005
Summary: What if the legend of the Headless Horseman was true? Our hero will find out soon enough...
1. Prologue

_**The **__**New**__** Headless Horseman**_

_**By: Venom2005**_

_Disclaimer: This story has elements from several stories that may look familiar to some. If anyone is offended, I apologize. I am only using these elements for creative purposes._

**Prologue: The History**

We all know the story of the "Headless Horseman and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow," by Washington Irving. But what if someone told you it was merely a white-wash story made to hide the real truth? Everything about the story of the Hessian Horseman is accurate, up until the famous Ichabod Crane arrived in Sleepy Hollow. That is when fact was mixed in with fiction. What really happened occurred only once every year, on Halloween night. Each year, a lone traveler would be going down the road to the bridge made famous by Irving. After they cross the bridge, the Horseman would appear and frighten the traveler. The only time the Horseman would decapitate the traveler was if he or she ran. Yes, that's right, only if they ran! So far, one person has died every year out of fear and as a result, have lost their head. No one has dared stand up to him, until now.


	2. Chapter 1

**Part 1: The Beginning**

My birthday had come and gone too fast for me to remember, now I am 21 and going out to confront my worst fear. It is now October, three days before Halloween. Every year in the Oregonian, I would see a story about a young individual who was found dead on a stretch of road in the town of Sleepy Hollow. The story was always the same, according to the autopsies, they had a high adrenaline concentration. This means that each one was running away in fear from something, or someone. I knew that it could only be the Headless Horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

I read the story when I was a kid and have always been fascinated by the character. Three days before, I watched a film by Tim Burton called _Sleepy Hollow_. In this film, Ichabod Crane is a constable for the New York police who travels to sleepy hollow to discover the identity of the murders of three individuals. In a chase scene where the Horseman was chasing the fourth victim, Jonathan Nazbeth, I noticed an interesting detail about the Horseman's sword. At the butt of the hilt, there was a head of a snake, and this intrigued me even further.

Before I turned 21, however, there was an increase in the number of deaths on that lonely stretch of road. In the 78 days prior, there have been at least five deaths a week. More and more people are encountering the Horseman and more are dying. Now with Halloween only three days away, there are now 55 dead. That very night I contacted a friend in Sleepy Hollow, and asked him if I could come by and try to solve this mystery. He simply replied, "You just might be the only one who can." Two days later, he called to inform me that a flight had been booked that night at 7:30 p.m. And so I packed my belongings and left for Sleepy Hollow, much to my parents' dismay. In fear of discovering my death they warned me against going. To comfort them I said, "The only reason all those people died was because they ran. I don't intend to run." I then boarded the plane after a long hug goodbye and began my journey to sleepy hollow.


	3. Chapter 2

**Part 2: The Arrival**

On the way there, I was fortunate to be able to get a good night sleep. The plane arrived at Sleepy Hollow airport at 6:30 am, after which I got off and retrieved my luggage. Waiting for me at the luggage pick-up was Luke Patterson, the friend who booked my flight. He was leaning against a pillar wearing casual jeans and a t-shirt with an old looking book on the front saying, "Welcome to Sleepy hollow, try not to meet the Headless Horseman." After a hug and a friendly handshake, we got into his car and left for a local hotel, in which a room had also been booked. To be simple, he took care of everything I needed.

When we entered the room, he sat on the bed and began to talk with me. "So tell me, what's your theory on the deaths in the Hollow?" I replied, "Well, in the autopsy reports, a high level of adrenaline is always detected in the bloodstream of each victim, right? Well that means that they were afraid and started to run away." While showing me pictures of the crime scenes, Luke stated, "Of course they were afraid. Who would not be afraid of a headless man? Now notice all the tracks that are behind the victim. First, there are the prints of shoes, then there are hoof prints. That tells me that they were chased by a horse. Then there is a smudge of earth where the head landed. What do you think it means?" After giving it much thought I replied, "It means, the only time the Horseman killed them was when they started running."

After considering my thoughts, Luke responded with a natural disbelief. "What? Why would he kill them after they run and not before?" "Perhaps he believes them to be cowards," I replied, "who in his warped point of view, deserved to die for their cowardice." "That would make sense. If that is the case, then what is your intention?," Luke asked. I replied with no fear in my voice, "I intend to confront the Headless Horseman, and when he appears I will not run. Perhaps in my bravery he will decide to rest in peace." And with that resolve, I asked him to help me find a good restaurant so I could have a good meal. We ate lunch and dinner together, during that time we caught up and told each other what we were doing with our lives. In that moment of talk, I forgot my fears and spent what might be my last whole day alive in good company. The next night, everything changed.


	4. Chapter 3

**Part 3: Halloween Night (The encounter)**

It was amazingly warm this year, usually on Halloween it is cold and cloudy. This year the sky was clear and it was nice and warm. I left the hotel and went to the road where all the people have been murdered. Naturally there was yellow tape to keep the public away, but Luke asked the officers to let me go beyond the boundary. As I walked past the gates, I crossed the old road. It was a very pleasant walk, until I reached the bridge. According to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane was supposed to cross the bridge to make the Headless Horseman disappear. The problem with that part of the story is, I know the truth. The Headless Horseman would not be ended after crossing the bridge, but would appear out of nowhere.

As I crossed the bridge, I noticed that the air started to get colder. Scientifically, spirits absorb all forms of energy to manifest. This energy includes electrical, heat, and so on. When I reached the end of the bridge, I heard the sound of hooves on wood. I turned around, and the Horseman himself was running at me, astride his black horse. I felt terrified, not really out of fear of seeing him, but after being surprised by him. Even as the horse came running towards me, I stood my ground, never faltering or showing my fear. The horse and rider passed straight through me, and their combined energy nearly knocked me off my feet. After they came to a stop, he spoke in a strong, determined and surprised voice. "Why won't you run? Everyone else who saw me, ran away in fear. All except you. Why?" Even though my voice was shaking, I kept my composure and responded, "Because everyone who has run away has died by your hand. I simply refused to be intimidated by you." I then noticed something interesting, his head took shape. It took the appearance of a young man about my age, with a strong face and a thin beard.

In that same strong voice he beckoned, "Kneel, brave soul." I slowly kneeled down on my right knee, and afterward he said, "Arise, I declare you the new Headless Horseman." He handed me his sword as a gift. In shock I asked, "But this is yours. Why are you giving it to me?" "I have been chopping off heads for almost 200 years," he said. "But thanks to your bravery, I can rest in peace. The sword will make you the new horseman, but only after you die. From that moment onward, nothing will be able to kill you." With a smile of gratitude I gave my thanks, and then he leapt onto his horse and rode into the afterlife. A few seconds later, I received a call from Luke. His voice was both shocked and worried, "Are you alright, is it over now?" I replied with a tone of comfort, "Yes, the Headless horseman is gone. There will be no more deaths in sleepy hollow. I will see you at the hotel." After I hung up, I looked down at the sword. It glowed in the silent moonlight bright silver. The sword of the headless horseman was mine at last; I could not wait to tell my parents the story.


	5. Chapter 4

**Part 4: The Return Home**

The next day, I was very hungry from my ordeal on Halloween. So I went to a restaurant and had a full stack of pancakes, which I was able to completely devour (I was that hungry). Then, I went to a local historian and asked his opinion about whether the sword was authentic. Pardon me for being skeptical, if I am going to take it home with me then it has to be the real deal. As he examined the sword, he was just as fascinated as I was, "You said you got this from the Headless Horseman right? How is it that you are not dead?" "I simply refused to run away from him," I replied. With an understanding nod the historian said, "Then I commend you, this sword is truly authentic. Every detail is correct. Take it home with you, my friend." After we shook hands, he gave me a card that read, "Allow this object to pass through customs without check. Authorized by the Sleepy Hollow Historical Society."

With, my sword in hand, I went back to the hotel and began to pack for the trip home. Luke had again arranged for a flight to take me home, so when we reached the airport I said thank you. As we said our goodbyes, I boarded the plane. The tag the historian gave me worked well, the package containing the former Headless Horseman's sword was allowed to go through customs. I managed to get a full eight hours of sleep on the flight, after which I called home. It was my mom who answered; she was in shock and kept asking if I was okay. So that morning, I planned for a pick-up at Portland Airport at 10:30 a.m. After arriving and receiving my luggage, I walked to the entrance where a happy family waited. I was smothered with hugs, kisses, and tears of joy from everyone. On the way home, dad noticed a package that rested in my lap. He asked, "What is that buddy?" I simply said, "I will show you when we get home." At approximately 11:00 a.m. we arrived home. It just so happened to be Sunday, so we had ramen noodles for lunch (it was the best ramen of my life).

As we ate, I told the story about my adventure in Sleepy Hollow. I didn't expect anyone to believe me, but I knew that once they saw the sword they would. When it was all over, my dad asked the big question, "Do you have any proof?" Then I opened the package, and pulled the sword and sheath out of its glass case. Everyone stared in awe, and then my sister said "That sword is a historical artifact, and artifacts belong in museums. What are you going to do if someone asks if they can put your sword on display?" Then with a calm voice I replied, "I would simply say no." I received a big "WHAT!" and "Why?" from everyone in the room. "This sword was a gift from the Horseman himself, someone who wants it in a museum intends to make money off of it. This sword is worth more to me then mere money. So if someone wants it, it will have to be torn from my dead fingers!" With silent acceptance, we finished our lunch. Then, I went to my bedroom and started swinging the sword around slowly. I knew that someone would come to steal it from me, so I needed to train myself in how to use it. Little did I suspect that in only a few days time I would die for the first and only time!


	6. Chapter 5

**Part 5: The Theft (Death and Rebirth)**

Three full days have passed now, and I have fully mastered the swords power. I was amazed that it only took me three days to learn how to control the sword; one explanation could be that it was my destined weapon from the start. I will never truly know. It was another warm day; I was home alone while mom and dad were at work. That day, a man in a suit rang the doorbell and woke me from a nap. I went to answer the door and exited the house. The man in the suit asked, "Are you Mr. Daniel Boone, the young man who confronted the headless horseman?" I nodded in confirmation and asked what he wanted, "I am Jared Lewis from the Portland Museum of Natural History and I am wondering if you would like to let me buy the sword from you." In a nervous tone, I asked "Why would you want to buy it? You know the horseman gave it to me himself don't you?" With a nod he replied, "The sword is an important historical artifact and I think it would fit in perfectly with the collection from the Revolutionary War. I will pay you one million dollars for it, which is surely enough for such a beautiful sword."

After a bit of thought, I replied "I am afraid that I must refuse. As I said, the sword was a gift from the horseman. And I know that you don't really want it for its historical value, you feel you can make some money off of it. Well, I will not give it to you. The only way for your museum to have it, is for it to be torn from my COLD DEAD fingers." With a sad expression, Jared pulled out a gun and before pulling the trigger said, "How unfortunate, I was hoping to not having to spill your blood. But since you refused my generous offer, I will just have to take you up on your proposal." BANG! I was shot through the heart, and was dying. The last thing I saw before everything went black was that thief Jared holding my sword in his disrespectful hands, dropping something on me and then leaving. When my soul left my body, I heard the voice of the Headless Horseman, "You aren't going to let him take your sword are you? Now that you are the new Headless Horseman, you can track your sword across the entire world. You also have the capabilities of a ghost. All you need now is a ride, be it a bike, motorcycle, car, or horse. The choice is yours to make." When I opened my eyes, my body was gone but I was still in the same place as I was when I died.

I contemplated on the horseman's words and decided to find a good horse. I grabbed all of my money and started to run toward the local stable. There was a fair that day and horses were on sale, the perfect opportunity. There was a set of four stables with eight horses each, but none suited me. I thought it was a wild goose chase until I reached the end of the fourth stable. Inside was a beautiful black horse named Shadow. The current owner, a young lady named Kim noticed my interest and came towards the stable. "Are you interested in buying this beautiful horse? He is only $500 if you want him. The price includes saddle and reigns." she said. With firm understanding and generosity, I gave her $1000 and asked, "How long will it take for you to prepare him?" In confusion she asked, "What's the hurry, was something stolen from you or something?" I gave her an urgent look and that said it all, "We can have him ready in 10 minutes." With a silent nod, she gathered her crew and quickly went to work. And she was true to her word, in 10 minutes, Shadow was ready for riding. I quickly hopped on and was about to leave when Kim came rushing out with $500 in change. "Keep it," I replied, "what was stolen from me is of sentimental value and is more important to me than money. When I find the man who stole it from me, he will pay." I then gave a shout, "Ride Shadow, show me the meaning of haste!" And with that, we rode off, with me knowing that when I caught up with Jared, his head would roll for what he had done.


	7. Chapter 6

**Part 6: The Confrontation (My first Execution)**

The sun was just starting to set when we found the Portland Museum of Natural History. But the trip was not really a total loss. During the trip, Shadow and I underwent a transformation. I obtained an appearance that was similar to the comic book character Ghost Rider, except there was no hellfire coming out of my head. I had glowing green eyes, probably because my eyes were green when I died. Shadow didn't really change all that much, his physical appearance remained the same except that he was now a ghost like me. He also had glowing green eyes, a sign that our bond was complete. But the most impressive thing about him was that no matter how long he ran, my Shadow NEVER got tired.

Anyway, after we infiltrated the museum, I decided that more ground would be covered if we split up. If either of us found the sword, then we should signal each other. Three hours passed, and we found nothing. That means that Jared hadn't reached the museum to put my sword on display. He would have to make a deal with the curator before putting it on display. We then decided to wait at the loading dock, where all artifacts for new exhibits were being delivered. Inside, the curator was waiting for the final truckload. A few minutes later, a truck pulled in with many new items for the Revolutionary War exhibit. I cringed when I saw Jared exit the driver's seat with my sword still in his dirty, disrespectful hands. I knew that I would have no opportunity to get it back other than now. The curator gave a nod and said, "So you finally have it then? Well good for you. The offer of $1,000,000 a year still stands my friend; do we have a deal or not?" Jared then gave a look at the sword and said, "Yes we have a deal. After all the trouble of stealing this thing for the new exhibit, I think that will compensate me nicely. I feel sorry for the young man who owned it though; I suppose I broke his heart."

After that he started to laugh a very evil laugh, but the curator didn't join in. I could take it no longer and screamed, "JARED! Give it back to me!" With a jump both men turned around just in time to see me come out from behind a pillar. In horror Jared stammered, "B-but I-I k-killed y-you. H-how?" "How can I still exist?" I finished, "Well you were right about killing me, but you didn't know that after my death I would become the new Headless Horseman. Well, it's too late for that now. Say goodbye!" With that I reached out my hand, then the sword and sheath came to me. Then I called Shadow, who came into the loading dock straight through the wall. I boarded him, drew my sword, and screamed a howl of anger. Just then Jared started to run like the coward he is. With a boney grin, I ordered Shadow into a gallop. As Jared continued to run, I readied my sword for his execution. Then with one swing, Jared's head came flying off (with no blood oddly enough). I got off Shadow picked up the head and spoke to the curator, "What's your name?" In a shaky voice he responded, "I'm Jake." With a smile I asked him to call the police, but not before I took care of something first. Then I carved a message into the stone wall. It read, "The Headless Horseman is Back."


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The Reunion**

The next day was my memorial service. Along with Shadow, I stayed invisible to them throughout the ceremony. Everyone who knew me was there, but no one cried as much as my mom and dad. Their dear son had died and left an empty space in their hearts, but their new puppy filled it up nicely. Yes, their new dog helped them mourn for me by allowing them to be happy in their grief. That afternoon, I dropped a letter into their mailbox. It was an invitation to return to the cemetery that very night. It was now winter, so at six o'clock in the evening it was almost pitch black. I sat on my gravestone with Shadow at my side while waiting for them to arrive. A few minutes later, I saw Mom's car pull into the cemetery and noticed them walking towards me. After noticing the shocked expressions on their faces, I realized they could see me and Shadow. The number of hugs and kisses I received reminded me of my return from Sleepy Hollow.

With tears coming down her cheeks, Mom started to speak, "We got your note and arrived as soon as we could. But, I thought you were.." "Dead?" I finished, "yes I am dead, but I am not gone. As you know, I am the new Headless Horseman. I saw you cry at my funeral but thought it best to stay out of the way." Then dad noticed my steed standing beside me and asked, "And who might this be son, your beautiful horse?" "His name is Shadow," I replied with a smile, "and he has been a good friend through my days alone. I am glad to see you but I must go now, I have a name to live up to." In horror mom asked, "You're not going to kill innocent people are you?" I relieved her nerves, "Of course not. I only intend to kill criminals. What better people to kill, right? Anyway, I really need to go." I boarded Shadow, but before we rode away I asked mom a favor, "treat your new dog like real family for me, and be happy. Okay?" And with a nod, I rode off into the night. With my sword in hand, I headed to the person who needed my help, and the attacker who needed to meet my blade.

_They say at night you can hear the sound of a horse in the night air before you go to sleep. But every day at midnight you hear a scream of the dying. That is the scream of the newest dark soul who met the blade of the Headless Horseman. So remember folks, behave yourselves or the Headless Horseman will find you and take your heads. Hahahahaha_


End file.
